Lewis Gregory is playing in his first game of the season for Somerset in the Rothesay County Championship, Division One against Hampshire at Utilita Bowl (day one).

Hampshire: 238 - Lehmann 76; Gregory 3-45, Overton 3-50

Somerset: 154-3 - Rew 77*; Baker 1-18

Somerset (3 pts) trail Hampshire (1 pt) by 84 runs.

James Rew continued his exceptional start to the County Championship season to keep England selectors' attention on a day where 13 wickets fell at Utilita Bowl. Somerset wicketkeeper Rew began the season with 64, 122, and 48 before adding another half-century to back his bowlers striking Hampshire out for 238.

Jake Lehmann had been Hampshire's lone batting star by striking 76, as Craig Overton and the fit-again Lewis Gregory picked up three wickets each. Rew, batting at number four, then replied with 77 not out by the close - with an average over 100 for the campaign - as Somerset ended the day trailing their hosts by just 84 runs.

Hampshire captain Ben Brown chose to bat first, but regular wickets against a nagging bowling attack stemmed his ambitions of getting a large first-innings total. Toby Albert was preferred to Joe Weatherley – who had only managed 16 runs in four innings this season – and looked punchy and busy at the crease. Albert has traditionally had a Jekyll and Hyde approach to his batting in different formats. His aggressive and inventive T20 style helped him be the leading run scorer in the Vitality Blast last season. Whereas in the Championship, he had gained a reputation as a blocker. Here, scoring 42, he found a middle ground between the two approaches – suggesting he may be the answer to Hampshire's long-term opening bat conundrum.

The Somerset bowlers had zipped the new ball through, finding Nick Gubbins offering a head-high catch to third slip, and Tom Prest edging to wicketkeeper Rew. But Gregory's introduction began Hampshire's slide from a respectable 72-2 to 126-7. Gregory missed the first two rounds of the season with a pectoral injury and struck in his fourth over when Albert pushed behind, and then in his following over, got Ben Brown frustrated and drew a jabbed edge. Those two overs turned the momentum towards the visitors, as Ben Mayes, Liam Dawson, and Codi Yusuf departed within 22 balls of each other – with Overton picking up the second two of the trio.

Facing a sub-200 score, Hampshire's tail wagged, with Lehmann acting as the shepherd. Lehmann, who is the son of Australian great Darren Lehmann but qualifies as a domestic player due to his UK Passport, put on 43 with Kyle Abbott and 62 with Eddie Jack. The South Australian scored 76 and 92 in the victory against Yorkshire last week and through crisp hitting, followed it up with another 76. Archie Vaughan pilfered the last two wickets to bowl Hampshire out for 238 – with Rew ending up with four catches to underline his all-round prowess.

Somerset's reply started with a stutter as Josh Thomas tickled Yusuf behind to the seventh ball of the innings, and then Tom Lammonby mistimed a drive off Abbott to Albert at second slip. But Vaughan – who came into last week's win at Essex as a replacement to win the match with a breezy 41 – saw off the new ball with Rew. And even though Vaughan hooked a Sonny Baker bouncer straight to long leg, the foundation was set for Tom Abell and Rew to fly through the gears and make a sizable dent into Hampshire's total. Rew was at his dominant best with wristy flicks and luscious drives to set himself up for a big total on day two.

Report by ECB Reporters' Network, supported by Rothesay.